Son of Belgian victim disputes official account of Spain wildfire alerts

The son of a Belgian man who died in the wildfires in southeastern Spain has publicly contradicted the official narrative that victims ignored shelter-in-place recommendations, asserting that no guidance was given at all. Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt, a virologist, told Reuters that his father Stanislas and others were never warned to evacuate or take cover as the blaze approached Bédar in Almería.

“Las personas que murieron no incumplieron ninguna orden porque no se dio ninguna orden. No se proporcionó ninguna información,” Verdonckt said. He described how his father and neighbors tried to flee by car but were turned back by flames, then attempted a dirt road that ended in a dead end, forcing them to flee on foot.

Authorities offer a sharply different version. The regional government of Andalucía stated that SMS alerts were not sent due to varying terrain, but local officials and police went door-to-door or called residents with instructions. Mayor Ángel Collado specifically claims he urged the group that included Stanislas Verdonckt to take refuge in their homes.

“Comprendemos el dolor de las familias y respetamos que, en momentos de enorme sufrimiento como estos, la rabia e impotencia ante la tragedia pueda inducir una percepción distinta de lo ocurrido,” read a statement from the Andalusian government.

Key points

• Eight victims were found in a valley below Paraje el Curato; 13 total died, mostly foreign nationals.
• The son insists his father was analytical and weighed options calmly, but had no information about the fire's direction.
• The official timeline says warnings were delivered in person; Verdonckt claims no one was told the fire was approaching.

What's next

No official investigation has been announced, but the conflicting accounts have fueled public debate about emergency communication in wildfire-prone regions.